NIH awards $20M to train next generation of global health researchers

April 4, 2012

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To help foster the next generation of global health scientists, Fogarty International Center and its partners at the National Institutes of Health are building a network of U.S. academic institutions to provide early-career physicians, veterinarians, dentists and scientists with a significant mentored research experience in a developing country.

Each consortium will develop and support global health research training programs that provide focused mentoring for participants and diverse clinical research experiences at approximately 80 established research sites in low-resource settings. Program trainees will study the traditional global health problems such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and maternal and child health, and will address the chronic non-communicable diseases that cause a majority of deaths in developing countries, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

"In combining the enthusiasm of today's young scientists with the knowledge and wisdom of America's global health leaders, we are forming a powerful network to produce a new generation of stellar researchers capable of working in the global arena," said Dr. Roger I. Glass, Fogarty's director. "This program will leverage the considerable experience, relationships and infrastructure the 20 U.S. partners have built in developing countries around the globe, together with the depth and diversity of their subject matter expertise, to ensure our alumni are well-equipped to tackle the world's most pressing health problems."

The program will enhance the career trajectory of the participants, strengthen the global health research programs at U.S. and foreign institutions, and will bolster networking among program alumni and senior scientist mentors. Eighty percent of the program's trainees will be post-doctoral fellows, with 20 percent entering as doctoral students.

Participating institutions were required to demonstrate they possess the capacity to provide outstanding mentored global health research education experiences, existing robust research and training activities at a developing country site, and established relationships among consortia members.

Since 2004, Fogarty has supported more than 500 fellows and scholars for significant hands-on, clinical research training experiences in low- and middle-income countries. The program was most recently managed by a coordinating center at Vanderbilt University.

This program is funded under grant numbers TW009340, TW009337, TW009345, TW009338 and TW009343.

Fogarty, the international component of the NIH, addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs and supports and advances the NIH mission through international partnerships. For more information, visit: www.fic.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.